You are feeling motivated and energetic so you decide to put on your gym gear (you know the ones) and jump in your car, then drive to your local gym. When you get there you scan in with and talk to reception maybe even walk up the stairs or do a warm up what ever it is you usually do. Next thing you know you’re on the x-trainer or running on the treadmill with the sweat beginning to drip and you begin to feel an excruciating tight pain in your calf which forces you to stop. Now I am sure most have you have experienced something similar before as I know I have and I would love to know everything possible to avoid this again in the future, right.

What causes cramps? They say some of the causes are abnormal or salt (sodium levels) potassium, magnesium or calcium levels in the blood due to sweating, dehydration from inadequate fluid intake and heat stress or cold stress. Whether it is some of the above, all of the above or none of the above we can agree that the end result of a cramp is still the same with the same outcome or process as explained below. Remember cramps happen in muscles that have a reduced blood supply.

So what exactly is a cramp? We’ve heard all types of things and rumors but what is it really? Well within the muscle there are muscle spindles which are stretch receptors that increase muscle contraction and there are also things known as Golgi tendons which are tension receptors that decrease muscle contraction when tension is high. When the muscle is fatigued muscle spindles make muscle contraction more forceful and Golgi tendon activity drops and stops protecting the muscle from over contraction. The muscle then becomes over-stimulated causing erratic involuntary contraction causing a cramp.

Some of you may now be wondering; well that’s great Jas but how do I fix it?

Well I’m guessing you have heard the saying that prevention is better than the cure so let’s start there. Some prevention methods in which you may choose to use are some obvious and not so obvious.

Be fit - Cramps can be less common in athletes. Drink plenty of fluids. Eat well with low fat - promotes blood flow within the arteries. Stretch before and after exercise. If you suffer from night cramps stretch before bed. Avoid wearing tight clothing that restricts blood circulation.

If after all the possible necessary prevention strategies have been implemented you still experience a cramp you may simply chose to use one of the following methods to treat your cramp. Being a person that experiences cramps quite regularly I have found the following two techniques to be the most effective immediate treatments.

Stretch the cramped muscle as this increases the tension in the muscle, which in turn stimulates the Golgi tendons to increase their activity, and that signals the muscle spindles to decrease muscle contraction. Remember to stretch a muscle effectively you want to increase the distance between the insertion and origin (the two ends) of the muscle.

Massage the muscle as this may increase blood flow to the area therefore relieving the pain. Note:

Consuming salt for cramps may lead to increased dehydration and cramps.

Water contains no calories so although it may reduce the risk of dehydration and cramps your body requires sodium chloride and other nutrients to fully re-hydrate so water may not be sufficient to fully re-hydrate, use healthy, clean food or another healthy drink with nutrients, calories and maybe even electrolytes and live a life without cramps now.

I hope you have gained some new insights to the maintenance of your muscle health and after you read this you have clicked on about the prevention and treatment of cramps.